Suction cleaner center support and cover locking means



Aug. 28, 1962 A. w. SEYFRIED SUCTION CLEANER CENTER SUPPORT AND COVERLOCKING MEANS Filed Aug. 17, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN VENTOR. ARTHUR n4SEYFfP/ED ATTORNEY Aug. 28, 1962 A. w. SEYFRIED 3,

SUCTION CLEANER CENTER SUPPORT AND COVER LOCKING MEANS Filed Aug. 17,1959 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ARTHUR W. SEYFR/ED B kiwi. 726W United States Patent SUCTION CLEANERCENTER SUPPORT AND COVER LOCKING MEANS Arthur W. Seyfried, Racine, Wis.,assiguor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., acorporation of Connecticut Filed Aug. 17, 1950, Ser. No. 834,107

6 Claims. (Cl. 55-467) This invention relates to a suction cleanercenter support and cover locking means.

The cleaner is the kind known as the fiat canister type, and in thisembodiment the housing resembles a hat box. When the cleaner is in itsoperative position, the removable cover of the housing constitutes thetop.

The removable cover bears adjacent its edge on the upper edge of thevertical walls of the cleaner housing. The cover also bears centrally ona center support which is provided with means which cooperate withlocking means on the cover to position the cover and retain it on thecleaner housing.

' The object of the invention is to provide a very simple and sturdyconstruction in which the center support cooperates with the coverlocking means and also serves to reinforce the structure as a whole andto protect and position the dust bag at one side of the motor-fan unit,between the center support and cleaner wall.

The construction of the cooperating locking means on the cover and onthe center support is such that placement of the cover and slightturning of the knob on the cover cause automatic engagement of thecooperating locking means, and slightly further turning of the knobresults in yieldingly drawing the cover downwardly 0n the housing bodyand completes locking engagement between the parts.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe drawings and following description.

'In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a suction cleaner embodying myinvention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the cleaner with the housing brokenaway to show interior construction partly in elevation and partly invertical section.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the cleaner housing.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view, enlarged, showing the meansmounting the center support on the cleaner bottom.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the cover knob and part of thecenter support, including the cooperating locking means associatedtherewith, the section being taken in the plane of the line 5-5 of FIG.8.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of one of two similar cam members which arepart of the cover locking means.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the cam member.

FIG. 8 is a horizontal sectional view through the center support in theplane of the line 8-8 of FIG. 5, looking upwardly.

In that embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the cleanerhousing 10 resembles a hat box in shape and comprises circular verticalside walls 11, a two piece bottom 12, 13 (FIG. 4), and a cover 14provided with a resilient head 15 which bears on the upper edge of theside walls 11. The cleaner is supported in its operative position oncasters 16, and in stored position on its flat end surface 17 oppositethe handle 18 on the front of the housing. The side walls extenddownwardly to a skirt portion 19 below the resilient furniture guard20-.

The center support 21 on which part of the cooperating locking means ismounted comprises an upwardly inclined sectional inner wall member 22,which partially surrounds the motor-fan unit 27, and provides aprotecting dust bag supporting and enclosing chamber between its outercurved side wall 22 and the similarly curved side wall -11 of thecanister housing 10. This upwardly inclined inner wall member 22 extendsa substantial distanee above the side wall 11 at the center of thecanister and is curved in horizontal section as shown in FIG. 8,provided with a lower horizontally disposed flange 23 by means of whichit is connected to the bottom of the cleaner as shown in FIG. 4. Theconnecting means are headed bolts 24 which extend through the flange 23,the bottom 12, resilient ring 25 and bottom 13. The overlapping portionsof the bottoms 12, 13 are spaced apart as shown in FIG. 4 to receive theresilient ring 25 in which is mounted the horizontally disposed flange26 which is part of the motor-fan unit housing 27. The construction thusprovides a resilient mounting for the motor-fan unit housing 27 as wellas a slightly yielding mounting for the lower end of the center support21 on the bottom 12, 13 of the cleaner.

The center support extends upwardly from the bottom to near the top ofthe cleaner chamber adjacent the inner surface of the cover 14 as 'bestshown in FIG. 5. At its upper end said center support member 22 isprovided with a horizontally extending flange 28 generally elliptical inshape as shown in FIG. 8. The flat top flange 28 which extends partiallyover the motor-fan unit 27 is provided with an elongated parallel sidedslot 29 enlarged at its center by a round opening 30 which communicateswith the parallel sided ends of the slot as shown in FIG. 8. On theunder surface of the flange 28, adjacent opposite sides of the slot29-30, are mounted a pair of similar cam members 31, each comprising aflat end 32 apertured at 33 and an opposite flat end 34 apertured at 35.The end 32 of each cam member has depending from one side a stop ear 36,and between said ends v32, 34, is an inclined cam surface 37. The cammembers 31 are mounted on the under side of the flange 28 adjacent saidslot 29-30 by means of screws or rivets 38 with the inclined camsurfaces 37 extending in opposite directions, and facing downwardly. Thelocking parts mounted on the center support 21 cooperate with otherlocking parts mounted on the cover 14 to position the cover on thehousing, to yieldingly draw the cover downwardly and retain it in lockedposition on the housing.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 5, the cover 14 has rotatablymounted thereon a knob 40 provided with a central hub 41 in which isfixedly mounted a stud 42 having a head 43. The stud 42 extendsdownwardly below the hub 41 through the cover 14 and ferrule 44 therein.On its lower portion, the stud 42 is provided with a circumferentialgroove in which is mounted a ring 45. A coiled spring 46 surrounds theupper portion of the stud, below the head 43 and bears at one endagainst a part of the hub structure and at the other end against thecover 14. A locking pin 47 is fixed in and extends through the lowerfree end of the stud 42.

The operation of the described locking parts is as follows: When thecover 14 has been loosely placed on the housing wall 11 with theresilient bead 15 hearing on the upper edge of said wall, slight turningof the knob 40 will cause the locking pin 47 and stud 42 to registerwith the slot 29, 30 in the center support flange 28 and automaticallyto pass downwardly through said slot, thereby centering the cover on thehousing and center support in its intended position. A degree turn ofthe knob then moves the locking pin into the position shown in FIG. 5,where the opposite ends of the pin 47 begin to engage the oppositelyinclined cam surfaces 37 of the members 31. Continued slight turning ofthe knob in a counter clockwise direction .as viewed from FIG. 8, causesthe locking pin to engage the deepest portions of the cam surfaces 37and to contact the stop cars 36 as shown in said figure. The resilientmounting of the stud 42 and pin' 47 relatively to the cover 14 providesthe yielding play required to permit the pin ends to pass over the camsurfaces 3'7 and to lock the cover in stationary position on thehousing. Turning of the knob in the reverse direction to a positionwhere the locking pin 47 again registers with the slot 29 permits thecover to be raised and the pin 47 and stud 42 to be withdrawn fromengagement with the locking parts on the center support.

The yielding means 15 between cover and housing, the yielding means 25associated with the bolts 24 connecting the lower end of the centersupport to the cleaner bottom, and the spring 46 between knob 40 andcover, all contribute to smooth, noiseless and eflicient operation ofthe locking means whereby the cover is retained on the housing andcenter support.

Changes maybe made in details of construction and form and arrangementof parts without departing from the scope of the invention as defined bythe appended claims.

1 claim:

l. A suction cleaner of the canister type having a housing including abottom, vertical side walls and an open top, a removable cover closingsaid top, the bottom comprising two connected parts having overlappingedges and resilient means between said edges, a center supportcomprising an upright wall member and upper and lower flanges projectinglaterally from said upright member, means extending through saidoverlapping edges of the bottom parts, resilient means between saidedges, and through the lower flange connecting said center support tothe bottom, said upright member extending from the bottom to near'theunder side of the cover, and manually operable locking means. on top ofthe cover extending through the cover into engagement with the upperflange of the center support and drawing the cover downwardly on thehousing side walls.

2. A suction cleaner of the canister type having a housing including abottom, vertical side walls and an open top, a removable cover closingsaid top, a resilient peripheral member on the cover bearing on theupper edges of the side walls, the bottom comprising two connected partshaving overlapping edges and resilient means between said edges, acenter support comprising an upright wall member and upper and lowerflanges projecting laterally from said upright member, means extendingthrough said overlapping edges of the bottom parts, resilient meansbetween said edges and through the lower flange connecting said centersupport to the bottom, said A upright member extending from the bottomto near the under side of the cover, and manually operable yieldinglocking means on top of the cover extending through the cover intoengagement with the upper flange of the center support and yieldinglydrawing the cover downwardly on the housing walls.

3. In a suction cleaner of the canister type having a dust bag andmotor-fan unit housing including a bottom, vertical side walls and anopen top, a removable cover closing said top, a housing sealingresilient peripheral member on the cover bearing on the upper edges ofthe side walls, a center-support for said cover extending around oneside of said motor-fan unit comprising an upwardly inclined wall curvedin horizontal section and located in dust bag protecting position in thehousing, said upright wall having a bottom engaging laterally extendingflange on its lower end and a horizontally extending flange on its upperedge located below and adjacent to the center of the cover, meansconnecting the lower flange to the bottom of the cleaner, and manuallyoperable yielding locking means carried by the cover extending throughthe cover into engagement with said upper flange of the upwright walland yieldingly drawing the cover downwardly on the housing side walls.

4. The suction cleaner defined by claim 3, in which the upper flange onthe upright wall is slotted, and the locking means carried by the coverextends through the slotted flange and engages the under side of saidflange in locking position.

5. The suction cleaner defined by claim 3, in which the flanges on theupright member extend laterally therefrom in opposite directions.

6. The suction cleaner defined by claim 3, in which the upright wall andflanges are integrally formed, the bottom engaging flange is connectedto the bottom off center, and the upright wall is inclined upwardly fromsaid bottom engaging flange to the flange on the upper edge of the wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,792,537 Irwin Feb. 17, 1931 1,933,105 Forsberg Oct. 31, 1933 2,287,806Kamrath June 30, 1942 2,383,364 Bechman Aug. 21, 1945 2,584,551 Chamberset a1. Feb. 5, 1952 2,594,417 Gerber Apr. 29, 1 952 FOREIGN PATENTS567,351 Great Britain Feb. 9, 1 945

